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(04/19/01 9:00am)
After pulling off an upset victory over its arch-nemesis last weekend, the Penn men's track team will get one more chance to compete with an Ivy League rival before the Penn Relays.
The Red and Blue will travel to Ithaca, N.Y., tomorrow to compete in a dual meet against Cornell.
Last weekend, the Quakers finished second only to national power Penn State, while defeating Ivy rival Princeton and crosstown power Villanova at Franklin Field.
Although the Tigers and Wildcats may not have had all their top runners on the track last weekend, it was still a definite confidence boost for the Quakers going into the final weeks of the season.
"I was very pleased with the effort we put out last weekend," Penn sophomore Brian Abram said. "I'm hoping to continue the success of last week throughout the rest of the season."
Abram is one of a host of Quakers who has competed well so far this season. Abram will be running in the 200 meters, 400, 4x100 and 4x400 at this weekend's meet.
Freshman Adam Chubb has also performed solidly so far. Tying the Penn high jump record in his first college meet, Chubb is only a few inches from the NCAA qualifying height and head coach Charlie Powell is optimistic that he might be able to hit that target very soon.
Penn senior thrower Seth Beaver has also been a force this year. He won the javelin last weekend with a throw of 65.74 meters.
"Seth has gotten to the point where he can do stuff and he can just make it look easy," Powell said. "I've been very pleased with his performance so far this season."
The next few days should also tell the tale of whether or not Penn sophomore Sam Burley will run this season. Burley, a national qualifier in the 800 last season, suffered a stress fracture in his foot at the end of the indoor track season.
During the beginning of the outdoor season, Burley kept in shape with pool and bike workouts and lifting. Since the injury is a stress fracture, Burley only needed to stay in shape and did not have to rehab.
"I hope I can run this season," Burley said. "I'm on track to run well in the outdoor season, and I'd love to get out there and help the team."
Powell said he and Burley will be speaking in the next few days to decide what to do for the remainder of this season.
Although the Quakers should be able to top the Big Red this Saturday, Powell is a bit concerned about his team's lack of focus. With students -- especially seniors -- rushing to finish final papers and exams for classes, Powell realizes a few might be distracted and tired.
"I have one senior on the team who has only slept about two hours a night for the past five days," Powell said.
A second concern of Powell's is the weather. Last year it snowed when the team travelled to Ithaca for the dual meet. The forecast for this weekend is 63 degrees with heavy rain showers.
Despite his worries, Powell still thinks the Quakers have a good shot to compete well this weekend.
"If we come out focused and prepared," Powell said, "we'll be able to come out a winner."
(04/18/01 9:00am)
Fans of the Penn men's basketball team definitely know the name Adam Chubb.
Usually the first or second man off the bench for the Red and Blue last winter, the freshman center averaged 3.7 points and 3.0 rebounds in 14.6 minutes per game in his first season on the college court.
But what Quakers fans may not know is that Chubb might actually be better at another sport -- one that competes in the spring.
In his first college meet with the Penn men's track and field team -- the Raleigh Relays on March 30 -- the 6'10" Chubb tied the Quakers' record in the high jump by clearing a height of 7'0 1/4". He finished third overall in a highly competitive field.
"I was really excited when I set the record," Chubb said. "I was hurt last spring and I wasn't sure if I could come out and compete, and then my first meet I come out and tie a record. It's unbelievable."
The weekend following the record-tying feat, Chubb won the high jump at the Penn Invitational and then finished first in a four-team meet last weekend with such national powers as Penn State and Princeton.
"We're just really pleased with the job Chubb has done with us so far this year," Penn coach Charlie Powell said.
*
Chubb's journey to becoming a Division I athlete is an interesting one.
A basketball player for basically his entire life, the Harrisburg native also took up track at a young age and ran for the prestigious Hershey (Pa.) Track and Field Club.
While growing up, Chubb became a star in both basketball and track at Susquehanna Township High School.
On the track, Chubb took third place as a junior in the state finals of the high jump, then concluded his prep career with a state-champion high jump performance while leading his team to district and state crowns.
However, disappointment brewed on the hardwood for the high jump phenom.
Although the Indians won the state title when Chubb was a sophomore reserve in 1997, they were not able to repeat with Chubb as a starter in his junior and senior years.
Despite Chubb averaging over 20 points and 10 rebounds a game, the Indians fell in the state semifinals in both 1998 and 1999. The senior star managed only six points in his final game for Susquehanna Township.
"At this point, I really wasn't attracting much Division I attention," Chubb said.
Rather than play for a Division II or III school, Chubb decided to attend Mercersburg (Pa.) Academy as a fifth-year senior.
He averaged 10 points and 12 boards in his one year at Mercersburg, and toward the end of the season signed a letter of intent to play basketball at Penn.
After Chubb decided to attend Penn, Powell sprung into action despite the fact that the incoming freshman suffered a season-ending leg injury in his first week back on the track.
"After I heard he was going to play basketball here, I called Adam up," Powell said. "I told him if he wanted to take a shot at high jumping, he certainly could."
*
Two-sport athletes seem to be becoming more and more rare these days, with a move toward an increased specialization in just one sport occurring for young athletes at an early age.
For Chubb, however, balancing basketball with track was never a problem.
"I would always just run track after I finished basketball," Chubb said. "None of my coaches ever seemed to have a problem with it."
And they still don't.
Penn men's basketball coach Fran Dunphy said he does not mind that Chubb competes in track -- in fact, Dunphy encourages it.
"If you're good at something, obviously you should go out and do it," he said. "I'm very happy that Adam has met with so much success so far this season."
Despite the constant threat of injury in any form of athletics, Dunphy is confident Chubb will not get injured while competing on the track for the Red and Blue.
"I'm not worried about Adam getting injured at all," Dunphy said. "There's just as much of a threat of injury -- maybe even more -- if he's fooling around in his dorm room with some friends."
Dunphy looks forward to coaching Chubb over the next three years and hopes that the young big man can move into the starting role that had been left vacant by the upcoming graduation of Geoff Owens.
"I'm absolutely excited about Chubb's future with us," Dunphy said. "He's got a great deal of promise for next year."
Powell said that he feels Chubb's competing in two sports is a testament to the Penn athletic community.
"The individual comes first at Penn, and I think we're all very happy to see him doing well," Powell said. "He's a big plus for the school."
The track coach said that Chubb needs to just get a bit more speed and hit a power position more consistently in order to improve in the high jump.
He'll get plenty of chances to work on these aspects of the high jump in the upcoming weeks.
This weekend, Chubb and the rest of the Quakers will travel to Ithaca, N.Y., to compete in the Cornell Invitational.
The following weekend, the Quakers will host the Penn Relays. Chubb competed for the Indians in the Relays in 1998, and in his return won the prep high jump in 1999.
"I never really thought I'd be back at Franklin Field," Chubb said. "Hopefully I can compete well at Relays and keep improving on my jumps."
Despite the success that he has had so far in the Palestra and on Franklin Field, Chubb remains humble.
"This is definitely exciting," Chubb said. "I'm just really glad I've been blessed with the opportunity to compete so well."
(04/10/01 9:00am)
The Penn men's lightweight crew team went into last Saturday's home race needing a strong performance against two stellar opponents: Harvard and Cornell.
What they brought to the Schuylkill, though, was far from a strong performance.
The Red and Blue had a bit of an off day, finishing last in all four races, as Penn's Ivy nemeses each walked away from Philly with two wins.
"We thought we could do well," Penn head coach Bruce Konopka said. "We never really rowed the way we can row."
Penn's varsity eight finished third with a time of 5 minutes, 53 seconds, a full 20 seconds behind the Crimson and eight seconds behind the Big Red.
Harvard also took first place in the first freshman eight race, crossing the finish line with a time of 5:53. Cornell finished three seconds behind, while Penn finished in 6:09.
The Big Red came in first in the second varsity eight and the second freshman four, in times of 5:49 and 6:59, respectively.
In the former race, the Crimson were four seconds behind and the Quakers finished in a time of 6:11. Penn was the only other team in the latter race, finishing in a time of 7:12.
Konopka said he was especially pleased with the strong performances put in by the strokers -- sophomore Tevis Jacobs on varsity, sophomore Brian Conley on JV and Bowen Posner for the freshman. The stroker is the first man in the boat.
And despite the disappointing performance put forth by the Quakers, Konopka does not view last weekend's race as a giant setback.
"The Ivies have some of the top teams in the country," Konopka said. "We just have to get back to rowing well."
However, the road will not get any easier for the Quakers.
Next Saturday, the Quakers will take to the Schuylkill again to face Ivy foes Yale and Columbia.
Last year those two squads were ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the nation, respectively, and neither the Bulldogs nor the Lions lost any members from last year's teams.
The race will be an immense challenge for the Red and Blue, but Konopka thinks his lightweight crew team will not only be ready for these national powers, but will embrace the opportunity.
"We always want to race against the best," Konopka said. "Our guys are going to be up to this, and we'll see how we do."
As for the chances of his team improving on this weekend's outing, Konopka was short and to the point.
"I know this wasn't our best performance," Konopka said. "We can do better."
(04/06/01 9:00am)
This weekend, there's going to be quite a few British athletes on Penn's campus.
No, Ugonna Onyekwe is not bringing his friends to West Philadelphia. Rather, teams from England's Oxford and Cambridge universities will be competing at this Sunday's Penn Invitational.
The British athletes are here as part of an exchange program between six of the Ivy League schools and the two British schools. Every four years, Oxford and Cambridge do a mini-tour of the States, and then for the next three years, two Ivy League teams visit England. Next year, the Quakers -- and Cornell, their partner in the exchange -- will visit Oxford and Cambridge.
"I'm really excited to finally come to the States," said Jeremy Bradley, an Oxford distance runner. "It's my first time, and it's just been a great trip."
Sunday's meet, which will be held on Franklin Field, will feature Penn, Cornell and other local schools, in addition to the English squads.
After two rain-riddled meets, the Quakers are excited about the possibility of a little good weather this time around. The forecast calls for temperatures in the high 60s.
"It's just a whole lot easier to run when it's warm," Penn freshman distance runner Joe Plevevich said. "Mentally, it's a lot less burdensome."
The Quakers will be hoping to continue their surprising success in the field and jump events. This weekend is the second meet back for Penn junior Tuan Wreh, who suffered a hamstring injury earlier in the season. Wreh placed fourth in the triple jump at the Raleigh Relays in his first appearance of the season.
Also competing for the second time this season will be Penn freshman Adam Chubb. Chubb, a backup forward/center on the basketball team, tied the school record in the high jump last weekend, clearing the bar at a height of 7'1/4".
"I was excited to see how I did after a long layoff," Chubb said. "I'm hoping to continue getting my form and technique to where I want it to be."
Also looking to improve in the field events is Penn senior Seth Beaver, who won the javelin at the Penn Invite two weeks ago. After throwing a career best 65.36 meters, Beaver failed to reach that mark last weekend.
"I wasn't that pleased with last weekend -- I just didn't throw that well," Beaver said. "I just need to concentrate on making a perfect throw and not on my mistakes."
Plevevich, who is hosting Bradley, said that, in addition to looking to perform well in the 800, he is excited about the opportunity to compete with the English athletes.
"It's really a great opportunity for us and them," Plevevich said. "Hopefully we'll go out there and have some fun running against them."
(04/03/01 9:00am)
At his first collegiate meet, Penn freshman Adam Chubb did something it usually takes four years to achieve. He set a school record.
On Friday at the Raleigh Relays, Chubb -- also a forward on Penn's basketball team -- tied a 21-year-old high jump record, clearing a height of 7'1/4". He finished third in a field that featured some of the top jumpers on the East Coast.
"I had seen some of these guys back in high school at Penn Relays," Chubb said. "I just tried not to let the pressure get to me, and I jumped well.
"I was really excited that I got the record. I really hope to keep working hard and doing well."
The rest of the Quakers followed the freshman's bright start, and many had good finishes at last weekend's meet.
"I was really encouraged with our performances, especially in only our second meet of the season," Penn head coach Charlie Powell said.
Returning from a hamstring injury, Penn junior Tuan Wreh had a promising meet, finishing fourth with a leap of 49'9". He also fouled on two jumps that were well over 50 feet.
"I feel that I'm at 100 percent now," Wreh said. "I look forward to facing some of these guys again and beating them."
In other field events, Penn seniors Charlie O'Connell and Seth Beaver finished sixth and seventh in the javelin with throws of 204'2" and 202'7", respectively. Sophomore Justin King's 150'7" discus throw was good for 13th.
"The field event results have been really encouraging," Powell said. "Everyone's just been getting out there and performing well."
Penn's 4x200-meter relay team finished sixth in 1:26.28, consisting of junior Steve Faulk, senior Laethe Coleman, freshman Chris Edmonds and sophomore Brian Abram. Abram followed that up with a 21st-place finish in the 400 in a personal record time of 48.40.
Rounding out the impressive Penn performances was junior Tony Ragucci, who finished ninth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 9:17.33.
The Quakers narrowly missed other strong finishes due to unforeseen circumstances. The 4x100-meter relay team passed out of the zone and was disqualified, while Penn's heat of the 4x400-meter relay was run in a downpour.
"It was the worst rain I've seen in 15 years," Powell said. "For about 20 minutes, the sky just opened and everyone was almost instantly soaked."
Powell was very excited about the performances of Chubb and Wreh.
"Tuan just needs to get back into it mentally and not worry about the injury," Powell said. "We're thinking he can get out and soar on some jumps."
For the Quakers, who will compete next at the Penn Invitational at Franklin Field this Saturday, the trip was a chance to improve team unity.
"We have a wonderful team this year," Powell said. "I'm really enjoying working with them."
(03/29/01 10:00am)
After a rain-soaked afternoon in its first meet last weekend, the Penn men's track team is ready for warmer weather -- namely the slightly-more-balmy climate of North Carolina at the Raleigh Relays tomorrow and Saturday.
The meet, which consists of mostly relays with a few individual events scattered throughout, will feature some of the top teams in the nation.
"This is the fun meet," Penn coach Charlie Powell said. "There's no pressure on the guys and we just want them to do their best."
An important member of the Quakers, junior Tuan Wreh, will return for this weekend's Relays. Wreh, who injured his hamstring at the end of the indoor season, is the defending Heptagonal champion in the triple jump. He is returning earlier than the Penn coaches expected.
"We're excited about Tuan's return," Powell said. "He's pretty much ready to go."
Despite the optimistic outlook, Wreh will not compete if the weather is bad, as the coaches do not want to risk his pulling a muscle in cold weather.
Another member of the Quakers making his debut is freshman Adam Chubb. A familiar face to the Palestra faithful as a reserve center for the Penn men's basketball team, Chubb was a former Pennsylvania prep state champion in the high jump.
Chubb leapt more than seven feet in the high jump in high school and still seems to remember how to clear the bar after spending months on the hardwood.
"Chubb's been looking real good in practice so far," Powell said. "We're going to get him out there and see what he can do."
Powell said he is excited about the performances the members of his team put forth in field events at last weekend's Quaker Invitational and hopes they can keep improving.
Senior Seth Beaver won the javelin with a throw of 65.36 meters, while teammate and fellow senior Charlie O'Connell was fifth with a throw of 60.03 meters.
Also, Penn sophomore Justin King won the discus with an IC4A-qualifying and personal best throw of 46.58 meters.
"I was happy with my throw, but I wasn't content," King said. "I know I have a lot more I can do."
In addition to the field events, the Quakers look to do well in the hurdles. Junior Mike Aguilar and sophomore Jared Shoemaker took first and second last weekend in the 110-meter hurdles.
One of the features of this weekend's meet that Powell is most pleased with is the weather.
Last Saturday's meet was rainy and cold, with temperatures below 40 degrees. The weather forecast for Raleigh this weekend calls for temperatures between 60 and 70 degrees.
"It's so much nicer when it's warm," Powell said. "The guys don't have to worry as much about getting warmed up."
The Quakers will be concentrating on their relays this week, looking to get a good showing against some national competition. They will run teams in the 4x100, the 4x200, the 4x400 and possibly the 4x1,500.
King said he is eager to face this tough level of competition, despite the fact he will most likely not place as well as he did this past weekend.
"Last year it was such a tough field I don't even think I got a mark," King said. "But it's always exciting to compete in these big meets."
(03/23/01 10:00am)
Most casual observers might see outdoor track as the same sport as indoor track.
Penn men's track coach Charlie Powell, however, sees otherwise.
"The sprints are totally different distances, plus you have to put in temperature factors," Powell said. "And, of course, there's the wind."
That being said, the Quakers will still be counting on the same performers outdoors as they did in the indoor season. That strong team finished second in the Ivy League behind Princeton.
In the sprints, Penn will be led by juniors Gene Sun and Steve Faulk and freshman Luqman Kolade. Those three all finished in the top 10 at the indoor Heptagonal Championships.
In the hurdles, Heps 60-meter champ O'Neil Bryan and junior Mike Aguilar are Penn's top performers. Bryan, however, will most likely sit out a few early meets due to a hamstring injury.
Penn sophomore Brian Abram, Heps champion in the 500, will be running the 400 outdoors. He is optimistic about the upcoming season.
"It's difficult to do as well outdoors, since everyone just performs better in the spring," Abram said. "I'm looking forward to having a good season, though."
Abram's roommate Sam Burley, who qualified for Nationals in the 800, will begin the season sidelined with a stress reaction in his foot. Powell said Burley might not compete until Penn Relays, which begins April 26.
"Sam's training like crazy," Powell said. "He can't run, but he's doing work on the exercise bike, in the pool and he's doing some heavy lifting."
In the longer distance events, senior Bryan Kovalsky and sophomore Anthony Sager had the strongest seasons of anyone indoors, and will probably lead the Quakers outdoors.
In the jumps, junior Tuan Wreh, last year's top performer, begins this season with an injured hamstring. Like Bryan and Burley, Wreh will rest at the start of the season, and it is uncertain when he will return.
"We want to let some of our top guys heal up at the start of the outdoor season," Powell said.
The Quakers will also look to a few athletes to do well in events that do not take place during the indoor season. Seniors Charlie O'Connell and Seth Beaver are very strong javelin throwers, and junior Anthony Ragucci is one of the top steeplechase runners in the nation.
In addition to those three, freshman Adam Chubb, a Pennsylvania state champion in high school, will compete in the high jump. Chubb plays basketball for Penn in the winter.
Besides Chubb and Kolade, Joe Plevevich in the 800 and Chris Edwards in the sprints are other freshmen who have had success. Despite the good number of younger athletes who excel on the Quakers, Powell does not like to put any pressure on them to perform in their first year.
"We love it when the younger kids come through," Powell said. "But our main goal is to just get them adjusted to being a student-athlete in college."
The Quakers begin their season at the Quaker Invitational this Saturday at Franklin Field. The meet features mostly local schools, and will be an opening test for every team involved.
"It should be a good, fun opening meet for us," Abram said. "We're all just excited to get out on the track again."
(03/06/01 10:00am)
Despite injuries to its top two members, the Penn men's indoor track team had three top-10 finishers at last weekend's IC4A Championships in Boston.
A hamstring injury hampered Penn junior Tuan Wreh, who did not fare well in the triple jump. And ophomore 800-meter standout Sam Burley did not compete at all due to injury.
For the rest of the Quakers, fatigue was a factor coming off the team's second-place finish at Heptagonal Championships on February 24-25.
"It's hard to come back after such an emotional performance," Penn coach Charlie Powell said. "We had a few injuries and were just drained."
Penn junior O'Neil Bryan had the best day for the Quakers, finishing seventh in the 60-meter hurdles in 8.14 seconds. Bryan won the event at Heptagonal Championships with a time that was .02 seconds faster.
Penn sophomore Brian Abram, also a winner at Heps, finished eighth in the 500 with a time of 1:04.55. Also taking eighth place was Quakers senior Bryan Kovalsky, who finished the 3,000 in a time of 8:27.79.
"I was happy with our top-10 finishers," Powell said. "They were able to compete with some of the top kids in the nation."
Other Quakers who turned in strong performances were junior Gene Sun, whose 7.04 time in the 60-meter dash just missed placing him in the finals, and freshman Joe Plevelich, who ran a personal best in the 800 but was disqualified for stepping out of his lane.
In the team scoring, which was won by Penn State, the Red and Blue were left out in the cold. They finished a dismal 43rd, tied with Buffalo.
Ivy champ Princeton finished fourth, and Brown, whom Penn beat by four points at Heps, finished ninth.
"I'm happy some of the other Ivy teams did really well," Powell said. "That reflects well on our conference."
The NCAA National Championships take place next weekend in Fayetteville, Ark. Burley qualified in the 800, but will most likely not run due to a possible stress fracture.
"I'd rather rest him and only lose him for two weeks now, then lose him for six weeks in the future," Powell said.
The Quakers now have a slight break to rest up and heal before the start of the outdoor track season. Their first outdoor competition is the Quaker Invitational on March 24 at Franklin Field.
(03/01/01 10:00am)
After what Penn men's track coach Charlie Powell called one of the greatest performances in Penn indoor track history, the Quakers may have to come back down to earth.
Penn will be running, jumping and throwing against some of the best competition on the East Coast at the IC4A Championships this weekend in Boston.
Last weekend, the Quakers finished a surprising second at the Heptagonal Championships, finishing behind only Ivy League powerhouse Princeton.
That performance surpassed all expectations, and Penn will be looking for a similar effort this weekend.
"It's tough to get ready to run after Heps," Powell said. "But hopefully we'll be able to have a good meet."
The Quakers will be counting on the same runners who have been going strong all season. However, standout sophomore Sam Burley will not be running in the 800 meters, his best event, due to a foot injury.
"We're gearing everything towards Nationals," Powell said. "Hopefully we can rest Sam now and have him run well later."
Burley qualified for Nationals with a time of 1:49.35 earlier this season. However, only the top 16 times will compete at the National meet, and Burley's time has slipped from 4th to 11th.
"We still think he will go to Nationals," Powell said. "As long as there isn't an explosion of fast times this Friday and Saturday, he'll go."
Although he will not run in the 800, Burley might run in the 4x400 meter relay. Currently, that team consists of Burley, senior Laethe Coleman, freshman Chris Edmonds and sophomore Brian Abram.
A trio of sprinters -- junior Gene Sun, junior Steve Faulk, and Coleman -- will also be competing for the Quakers in IC4As.
Additionally, Abram will run in the 500, an event he won at Heps.
"I hope I can continue the success I had at Heps at IC4As," Abram said. "It'll take something like how I ran at Heps to do well."
Penn junior Tuan Wreh, who qualified in the long and triple jumps, will only compete in the triple jump at IC4As. He will sit out of the long jump competition due to hamstring problems.
Powell said that if Wreh were 100 percent, he would have an excellent shot at qualifying for nationals. In his current state, however, Wreh will have a tough time meeting the 51'8" distance for the triple jump.
In the team scoring, this meet will probably not compare to last weekend's meet. Although the Quakers do have many national-caliber runners, they lack the depth to compete effectively on a national level.
"We have a number of good competitors," Abram said. "Although we lack the depth, we've posted high scores with a group like this before."
With their performance last weekend, the Quakers placed many runners in the top 10 on Penn's all-time indoor list. Abram's 1:03.89 time in the 500 placed him fourth, while O'Neil Bryan's winning 60-meter hurdles time of 8.09 seconds placed him fifth. Junior Mike Aguilar also placed in the top 10 in the hurdles.
Additionally, Sun's and Faulk's times in the 60-meter dash placed them in the top 10, while freshman Joe Plevelich and senior Bryan Kovalsky placed in the top 10 in the 800 and 3000, respectively.
"I was really proud of the way our guys ran last weekend, and the records show that," Powell said.
"Hopefully this weekend we'll be able to turn in another good performance."
(02/27/01 10:00am)
The Penn men's track team did its best to prove coach Charlie Powell wrong last weekend at the Heptagonal Championships in Boston.
Pegged as a middle-of-the-pack team by Powell last week ("I hate to say this... but we'll have a hard time being in the top half," Powell told The Daily Pennsylvanian on Thursday), the Quakers finished second in the meet with 84 points. League power Princeton (118) finished first.
In the meet, the Quakers bested two schools, Navy and Cornell, which topped them by easy margins earlier in the season.
"An effort like this makes you feel real good," Powell said. "We really rallied together as a team."
Three Quakers turned in first-place performances. Sophomore Brian Abram won the 500 meters in 1:03.89, and junior O'Neil Bryan won the 60-meter hurdles in 8.12 seconds.
Powell was very enthusiastic about the performance of Bryan in the hurdles.
"Bryan worked really hard this season," Powell said. "It's great to see him run so well."
And after a strong season, Penn junior Tuan Wreh became a two-time winner in the triple jump with a leap of 49'11 3/4".
"I was extremely happy," Abram said. "I was the fourth seed coming in [to finals] and I really ran well."
Abram was not the only Penn runner to overachieve. Sophomore Anthony Sager, the 14th seed in the mile, finished third in a time of 4:09.55, and Jared Shoemaker, the 17th seed in the 60-meter hurdles, finished fifth.
More than just individual accomplishments, the Quakers also displayed their depth. Junior Gene Sun, junior Steve Faulk and senior Laethe Coleman finished second, third and fifth, respectively, in the 60-meter dash.
"It would have been nice to win," Sun said. "But I ran a [personal record] and ran a good race."
Other top Penn performances were turned in by sophomore Sam Burley, who finished second in the 800 in 1:51.68, and senior Bryan Kovalsky, who finished fifth in the 3,000 in 8:21.42.
Even though they were not able to defeat the archrival Tigers --winners of four straight indoor titles -- the Quakers were excited about their performance.
"We threw everything we had at them," Powell said. "There wasn't anything more we could do."
And while the Red and Blue reveled in individual accomplishment, they were even more pleased with the team's performance as a whole.
"We really gelled as a team," Wreh said. "There were a lot of breakthrough performances I knew guys had in them."
After the first day of events, the Quakers were stuck in fifth place, behind Princeton, Cornell, Dartmouth and Brown. But Penn was able to finish four points ahead of third-place Brown in the final standings.
For the Red and Blue, this weekend was a chance to prove that they belong among the elite teams in the Ivy League.
"We did a lot better than everyone predicted," Sun said. "We're one of the top teams in the Ivies."
And Powell -- originally wary of his team's chances at Heps --was so enthused with his team's finish at Heps that he said last weekend's meet will go down as one of the great performances in Penn indoor track history.
"I've received compliments from coaches up and down the East Coast today," Powell said. "It was a wonderful weekend that made for some great memories."
The Quakers will again travel to Boston for IC4A Championships this weekend. More than 10 Penn athletes have qualified for the regional meet.
(02/23/01 10:00am)
It may be a different sport, but it's the same old story.
Once again, Penn is gunning for Princeton.
This weekend, the Quakers will take on the Ivy League powerhouse Tigers, along with the rest of the Ivy League, at the Heptagonal Championships in Boston.
The Quakers have had a successful season so far. However, head coach Charlie Powell is hedging his bets.
"I hate to say this, especially since my team reads the paper," Powell said. "But we'll have a hard time being in the top half."
Powell attributes this to the other Ivy schools' good recruiting classes over the past few years, along with the inexperience of his team.
Although the Quakers may not be able to win at Heps, many individuals have excellent shots at placing well.
"You know the old saying, dance with the girl you brung to the dance," Powell said. "We'll be counting on the same guys we counted on all season."
One of the Quakers' top performers has been sophomore 800 runner Sam Burley. Burley's 1:49.35 is currently tied for the fourth-best half-mile time in the nation.
"I'm really excited about Heps," Burley said. "It should be fun running against more top competition."
Burley is currently ranked second in the 800 on the Penn all-time indoor track list and has qualified for NCAA Indoor National Championships.
Another Quaker looking to do well is junior Tuan Wreh. He will be competing in the long and triple jumps.
"My season's been a little slow so far," Wreh said. "I'm going to turn it up this weekend."
Wreh finished fourth in the triple jump at the talent-laden Penn State Invitational earlier this year. He also won the Princeton Invitational in early December.
Sophomore Brian Abram will also be a factor this weekend. He'll be running the 500, an event he finished ninth in at Penn State to qualify for IC4As.
Other Quakers to watch will be junior O'Neil Bryan, who has the ninth-fastest time on the Penn indoor record list in the 55-meter hurdles, and senior Brian Kovalsky, who has been steadily improving in the 3,000.
Although his coach may not be optimistic, Burley is hopeful about his team's chances this weekend.
"We have a lot of really young runners, and this will be their first championship meet," Burley said. "But, if everyone stays focused, we have a really good shot."
Meanwhile, Tuan Wreh is focused more specifically on himself than his opponents.
"Honestly, I don't really care who's my competition," Wreh said. "If I go out there and do what I can do, I'll be fine."
The meet will be a tough one for the Quakers. They lost by 90 points to Cornell and 50 points to Navy early in the season. However, the Quakers are a much different team now.
"We've trained hard and improved with each meet," Powell said.
Although as a team the Quakers might suffer the same fate as the basketball team did last week, Burley is excited about the rivalry.
"Princeton is my competition," Burley said. "It's a school rivalry and they're really good competition."
With all the complexities of indoor track, Powell does have one simple method for success in Boston.
"Run fast, jump far, do the best we can," Powell said.
This weekend the Quakers plan on doing just that.
(02/14/01 10:00am)
The Penn men's track team was looking for a little tune-up before Heptagonal Championships on February 24-25.
They found it at the Penn State Collegiate in State College, Pa., last Friday and Saturday.
Despite finishing eighth in a field of 11, head coach Charlie Powell was not disappointed.
"We were taking it easier," Powell said. "For most of these teams it was a dress rehearsal for Big Ten Champs."
The meet, which was won by the third-ranked Nittany Lions, did have several bright spots for the Quakers.
Penn sophomore Sam Burley continued his amazing season with a time of 1:49.35 in the 800. It was the same time as Illinois' Jason VanSwol, but Burley finished second in a photo finish.
Burley did, however, qualify for the NCAA National Indoor Track Championships and also set a facility record in the 800 along with VanSwol.
"I know what Sam can do," Powell said. "But he amazes me sometimes."
Penn junior Tuan Wreh turned in another good performance, finishing third in the triple jump with a leap of 49'01.50". Wreh also finished ninth in the long jump with a leap of 22'11".
"Tuan had some good looking jumps," Powell said. "He's ready for a big jump soon."
Powell added that Wreh almost had that big jump this weekend, as he had a triple jump well over 52 feet in which he barely fouled.
Other strong performances by the Red and Blue were turned in by Mike Aguilar, who finished sixth in the 60 yard dash, and by Bryan Kovalzky, who finished seventh in the 3,000 with a time of 8:23.82.
The Quakers 4x400 meter relay team turned in a strong fifth place finish and Wes Gray finished eighth in the pole vault with a height of 14'9".
Powell was enthusiastic with the Quakers' performance.
"Not everything went right," Powell said. "But we know why they didn't go right, and we can fix them."
The Quakers have this weekend off before travelling to Boston for Heps the following weekend.
"The ball seems to be in Princeton's court for Heps," Powell said. "But we're going to put up the best fight we possibly can."
(02/06/01 10:00am)
The Penn men's track team came into last weekend's Delaware Invitational looking for two things.
One was qualifying two relay teams for IC4As. The other was getting some much-needed rest.
The Quakers achieved both.
In Newark, Del., on Saturday and Sunday, the Red and Blue's 4x800-meter and distance medley relay teams not only won their respective events, but both teams also qualified for IC4As in the process.
Penn senior Rudy Barthelemy got off to a great start in the 4x800 and the team held the lead for the entire race, winning in 7:50.93 -- more than eight seconds faster than the second place finisher.
"Rudy got out to a great start," said Penn freshman Joe Plevelich, who ran the second leg. "We basically just coasted."
In addition to Barthelemy and Plevelich, the team also consisted of sophomore Anthony Sager in the third leg and sophomore Sam Burley at anchor.
The distance medley relay was a little closer. Penn and Villanova were step-to-step the entire race.
Sager, who led off in the 1200 leg, handed off to sophomore Brian Abram, who ran the 400. Plevelich ran the third 800 meter leg, and Burley anchored in the 1600.
It was Burley who broke open the race. With the Quakers in second going into the final leg, Burley caught the Wildcat runner and won by more than three seconds in 10:09.03.
"The goal was to go in with both [relays] and hit IC4A qualifying times," Plevelich said. "We managed to do that, and everyone did their part."
Another strong performance came from sophomore Brendan Callahan, who finished first in the shot put with an throw of 51'03.75". It was an indoor personal best for Callahan.
"He's really getting a lot better," Penn coach Charlie Powell said. "Anytime you move forward, it's a good thing."
Other strong performances were turned in by junior Mike Aguilar and senior Andy Kish.
Aguilar finished 20th in the 60-meter dash, with a time of 7.25 seconds. Kish, meanwhile, finished the 5,000-meter run in 15:14.84 -- good enough for third place.
In the 60 hurdles, the Quakers turned in the eighth, ninth, and 10th positions with sophomore Jared Shoemaker, freshman Matt Wedge, and Aguilar.
Penn freshman Luqman Kolade also turned in a seventh place finish in the long jump with a leap of 21'02.50".
Powell was pleased with the Red and Blue's performance.
"We just went after relays and a few people," Powell said. "It was nice to see breakthroughs for a few guys."
The Quakers -- who now have nearly a dozen runners qualified for IC4As -- ran many people in different events this meet, using it as a rest weekend.
But, there was still the goal of qualifying in the relays.
"It was just a solid team effort in the relays," Plevelich said. "Everything went according to plan."
The Quakers will be looking to continue their strong indoor season this weekend. They travel to State College to compete in the Penn State Collegiate at State College, Pa., this Friday and Saturday.
Following that meet, Penn will compete twice in Boston -- at Heps on February 24-25 and in the IC4As on March 2-4.
(01/30/01 10:00am)
After a disappointing performance on January 20 at the Cornell Invitational, the Penn men's track team was looking for redemption.
The Quakers found it in Happy Valley.
On Friday and Saturday at the Penn State Invitational, Sam Burley paced Penn's seven IC4A qualifiers, in addition to other strong performances.
Penn head coach Charlie Powell summed up the performance succinctly.
"We did a lot better," Powell said.
Burley won the 800 meters with the second fastest time in Penn indoor track history, 1:50.57. It was the first time he has run the 800 this season.
"Now we know he's in pretty decent shape," Powell said.
Burley -- who was less than two seconds off the Penn indoor record of 1:48.88 held by Robin Martin -- was a mere .57 seconds short of qualifying for the NCAA National Indoor Championships.
O'Neil Bryan turned in a nice race in the 55-meter hurdles, finishing in 8.12 seconds, the ninth-fastest time in Quakers indoor track history. Bryan also qualified for IC4As.
Powell was very pleased with the performances of the sprinters in the 55-meter dash. Steve Faulk, in his first race this year, took 20th, while Gene Sun and Laethe Coleman tied for 28th place.
Penn sophomore Brendan Callahan had a personal best throw of 49'8.25" in the shot put, a full two feet better than his previous best.
"He's really finding explosion in his legs," Powell said.
Powell also pointed out that Callahan had a throw of almost 52 feet that he fouled on.
Tuan Wreh continued his string of strong performances. He placed fourth in the triple jump with a leap of 14.93 meters and qualified for the IC4As.
"Tuan was a little disappointed with his jump," Powell said. "But he sets very high standards for himself."
Penn sophomore Brian Abram also qualified for IC4As. He finished ninth in the 500 with a time of 1:05.16.
Joining the list of IC4A qualifiers was freshman Anthony Sager, who qualified in his first race of the year with a 4:14 mile. He finished 16th in the extremely strong field.
Rounding out the list of qualifiers were a pair of Penn seniors. Josh Coleman placed sixth in the pentathlon with a score of 3,451 points and Joe Plevelich finished the four-lap 800 in 1:53.02.
Powell was pleased with this past weekend's results, especially after the Quakers' dreary meet at Cornell on January 20.
"We went into the meet with specific goals, and for the most part, we met them," Powell said.
Powell is hoping the Quakers will continue to get back into top form.
"We need guys to compete with top-level, high-quality performances," Powell said. "Or else, we'll just get crushed."
(01/19/01 10:00am)
Last weekend, the Penn men's indoor track team lost to Navy by 49 points.
It would not be strange to expect Penn coach Charlie Powell to be disappointed by the finish on Saturday.
Surprisingly, Powell was not angered with the Quakers' performance.
"I was not pleased, not displeased," Powell said. "We just survived it."
The Quakers will be looking to improve on that performance as they travel to Ithaca, N.Y., to participate in the Cornell Invitational this weekend.
Saturday's meet will be a small affair, with only six teams competing.
"We want to keep people healthy," Powell said. "We hope to do well on Saturday."
So far this year, the team has been blessed with a few standout athletes.
In the sprints, Penn junior Gene Sun has continued to improve on last year's strong performances. Sun, who won the 55-meter dash last Saturday, also placed third in the event at the Princeton Invitational on December 13.
The most surprising performer this year has been sophomore O'Neil Bryan. Bryan added a win in the 55-meter hurdles last Saturday to take second-place at Princeton.
"He's turning into one heck of a hurdler," Powell said. "We're pleasantly surprised with him."
Powell also added that Bryan was a great asset to the team in terms of his great attitude and hard work.
Naturally, no Penn track meet would be complete without the exploits of junior Tuan Wreh. Wreh cruised to wins in the long and triple jump in the tri-meet with Navy and Wake Forest.
Wreh also finished first in the Princeton Invite in the long jump with a leap of 22' 9.75".
In the middle distance events, the Quakers were led by Sam Burley and Brian Abram. Burley and Abram won the 1,000 and 500 meters, respectively, last Saturday.
Abram will return to running the 400 on Saturday. He hopes to run the 500 in Heptagonal Championships and ran it last week for experience.
"Personally, I'm looking forward to returning to the 400," Abram said. "Hopefully, I'll also be able to win."
The Quakers will hopefully be getting a little more out of their distance squad. The Quakers took the last three places in the 3,000 last Saturday.
"We have our big guns," Powell said. "But we're looking for other people to get some things going."
Many of the Red and Blue share Powell's sentiments.
"The guys on the team are looking to do much better than we did at Navy," Abram said.
The extended winter break really hit the Quakers hard, but by this weekend much of the sluggishness should disappear.
"Being away for a month does not allow continuity of training," Powell said. "We hope to do well and keep people healthy."
(01/17/01 10:00am)
Coming off a long vacation, one would expect the Penn men's track team to face tough odds in trying to overcome Navy and Wake Forest.
On Saturday in Annapolis, the sluggish Quakers nevertheless turned in a victory over the Demon Deacons, but were done in by the distance and field events against Navy.
Navy won the tri-meet with a score of 154.5. Penn came in second with 105.5 points, while Wake Forest's 95 points rounded out the field.
The Midshipmen dominated the field events, taking the first three places in the high jump and the first two in the pole vault and shot put.
But Tuan Wreh, Penn's perennial first-place finisher, didn't have much trouble. The junior finished first in the triple jump with a leap of 14.95 meters and followed that up with a 6.75 meter first-place long jump.
"I didn't jump personal bests, but I guess I'm always satisfied with winning," Wreh said. "I'll have to step it up in the next few weeks, though."
While Wreh scored two first-place finishes, no other Quakers in the field events were able to duplicate his performances, with the closest being Lugman Kolnoe's second-place finish to Wreh in the long jump.
The sprinting events were a little better for the Red and Blue. Penn junior Oneil Bryan won the 55-meter hurdles in 7.3 seconds.
In the 55-meter dash, Penn junior Gene Sun enjoyed a half-second victory against his closest competitor, finishing in a time of 6.0 seconds.
In the 500 dash, Penn sophomore Brian Abram outran the pack and won in a time of 1:06.1.
"I'm happy with it," Abram said of his first-place finish. "It was tough after winter break, but I ran well."
One of Penn's standout performers was sophomore Sam Burley. In an exciting race, Burley outkicked the pack in the 1,000 meters and won in a time of 2:29.4. He finished 0.04 seconds ahead of Navy's Aaron Lanzel.
"I was a bit surprised since it was my first meet back," Burley said. "I was lucky to be in a good group of runners."
Burley had a plan to try to stay with the pack and try to outsprint the group at the end. He defeated the strong field with a personal best that was four seconds faster than his previous top time.
"Navy has a lot of good middle distance runners," Burley said. "I was lucky to be in such a good group."
Other than that, the Quakers were not able to muster much success. Navy took the mile, 800, 3,200 relay and the 1,600 relay - an event that is normally a strong point for the Red and Blue.
The Quakers also finished with the last three places in the 3,000 meters.
"We're not very happy with the performance," Wreh said. "We need to get in the habit of running well every week."
Abram suggested the long winter break had something to do with the performance.
"We knew we had to do a lot to match up with Navy," Abram said. "After winter break, we just came out a little sluggish."
The Midshipmen seemed to be just a bit more ready for the meet, having run a scrimmage earlier in the week.
"We need to get in the habit of competing with intensity and not waiting until Heps [Heptagonal Championships] to do it," Wreh said.
The Quakers will get a shot at improving their performances at the Cornell Invitational on Saturday.
(11/28/00 10:00am)
Penn men's indoor track coach Charlie Powell claims that his team is among the most successful of the Ivy League schools in recent history.
One could argue he is being a bit modest.
The Quakers have been first or second in the Outdoor Track Heptagonal Championships in 22 of the past 30 years, and only Dartmouth does not have a coach on their staff that was once associated with Penn or Charlie Powell.
Although Powell and his staff view indoor track as more of a training ground for outdoor track, the outlook for the Quakers is, again, very good.
"We are always in the top five, and we expect that again this year," Powell said. "All our bases are covered, and we're good everywhere."
One of the athletes who should have a great season is junior Tuan Wreh. Last year he was first team All-Ivy, and he holds the league record in the triple jump.
"Well, I expect to have a great season," Wreh said. "I've been training hard all year, and I'm in pretty good shape."
The coaches altered the training program for Wreh this off-season. They wouldn't reveal their secrets, but Powell and company expect the new training program to pay off with huge dividends.
"The goals I've set this year are very large improvements," Wreh said. "I'm taking it meet by meet, day by day, and hopefully the goals I've set will materialize."
Along with Wreh, a number of the Quakers look to be top-level national performers.
Another returning Ivy champion is junior Chung-Yi Sun, who won the 55 meters at Indoor Heps last year.
In the distance events, senior Bryan Kovalsky and junior Matt Gioffre look to be the top performers. The cross country squad finished seventh at Heps in late October.
In the hurdles, Mike Aguilar returns for his senior season, and Powell expects a very strong campaign from him, as well as from up-and-coming junior O'Neil Bryan.
"I'm really excited about Bryan," Powell said. "He's going to surprise a lot of people."
In middle distance events, three sophomores look very promising. Billy Moore and Anthony Sager continue to improve, and Sam Burley -- who finished 11th as a freshman in the 800 meters at nationals -- is already a top-caliber runner.
"He's a very strong runner," Powell said.
One of the aspects of the team that should be much-improved is the throwing contingent. Penn lost All-American Matt Pagliasotti to graduation, but sophomore Brendan Callahan, senior Ben Williams and sophomore Justin King lead the group of throwers.
"We really need people to come up big this year in the throws," Powell said.
One of the strong traditions of the Quakers is the 4x400-meter relay. That team is almost always at the top of the Ivy League.
Powell said that if he were setting his 4x400 team for Heps now, he would use, in order, sophomore Brian Abram, senior Darryl Olczak, senior Laethe Coleman and freshman Chris Edmonds.
Powell is very excited about Edmonds, a freshman from San Marino, Calif.
"He's a great addition to our team," Powell said. "He's an excellent 200 and 400 runner."
Although these are the runners Powell currently expects to have strong seasons, anyone could step up at any time. The team also could be very young, with promising freshman Matt Wedge in the hurdles and other strong freshmen in the pole vault and hurdles.
Wreh is very excited about the Quakers this year.
"Each year we have a good team," Wreh said. "But this year we have not only a good team, but a group of guys training hard together."
Despite the coaches' non-emphasis on the indoor season, the Quakers should have a good shot at making a run for the Ivy title. The Red and Blue's last win at Heps was in 1997, where they won both the indoor and outdoor championships.
The Quakers' season begins on December 16 with the Princeton Holiday Invitational. The Quakers then travel to Annapolis for a tri-meet with Navy and Wake Forest on January 13.
Indoor Heptagonal Championships are February 24 and 25 in Boston, Mass.
(11/14/00 10:00am)
For a few elite teams, NCAA District Championships is a chance to qualify -- both individually and as a team -- for the National Championships.
The Penn women's cross county team had about as much of a chance of qualifying for Nationals as Ralph Nader had in winning the presidential election.
Nevertheless, the Quakers finished strong in Districts, with two top-50 finishes. Sophomore Kristen Koch led the Quakers pack in 33rd place with a time of 22 minutes and 21 seconds, while freshman Abbi Gleeson finished nine seconds behind her in 44th.
The race was held this past Saturday at Penn State, and the 169-member field consisted of the top runners in the Northeast.
In what seems to be a common theme this cross country season, the Quakers were not running with a full squad. Freshmen Cristen Butler and Erin Okawa were sidelined with tendinitis in the knee and shin pains, respectively, and freshman Vanita Spagnolo has not yet recovered from her breathing problems.
Because of that, only four Quakers ran the race. Junior Sam Desposito finished 53rd in a time of 22:42, while senior Meredith Rossner finished in a time of 24:01.
Penn distance coach Crickett Batz-Shaklee decided to only run four runners because of the young nature of the team.
"Any increase of mileage for these young runners is a big increase," Batz-Shaklee said. "Cristen Butler is new to the sport, and Erin Okawa has had a history of stress fractures."
The top three Quakers remained as a pack for the first two miles. In the last mile, Koch made a strong move to finish first on the Penn team.
"Kristen finished very strongly," Batz-Shaklee said. "It is a very respectable finish."
Batz-Shaklee also praised Rossner for her performance in the senior's final cross country race in a Penn uniform.
"She may not be entirely happy with her performance in this race," Batz-Shaklee said. "But she was a great captain this year and kept the team together."
Gleeson was enthused by her performance and is very optimistic for the upcoming season.
"We definitely rebounded from Heps [Heptagonal Championships, where the Quakers finished last]," Gleeson said. "Our goal was to run together and we did."
Gleeson also added praise for Koch.
"Kristen ran really well," Gleeson said. "She's been a leader on the team this year."
This was the last meet of the season for the Quakers, a rapidly improving young squad. They had previously not won a meet since 1997, and ended with four top-three finishes in team scoring in invitationals this year, including two wins.
"They will be talented on the track," Batz-Shaklee said.
The first official practice for the indoor track season is December 4 for the cross country runners, with the first meet January 13th.
Although Penn did not meet all the goals it set this season, the runners can rest assured that this is a giant leap forward from last year's team.
(10/31/00 10:00am)
No tragedy struck the Penn women's cross country team on Friday.
No freak injuries prevented the runners from performing well at Heptagonal Championships at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx.
It wasn't that anything went terribly wrong; it was just that nothing went right.
In a field that included two nationally ranked teams, the Quakers finished ninth -- last -- for the second consecutive year with a team score of 242.
The Quakers were nine points behind Harvard. Yale took the title with a score of 47 points, the Elis' first title since 1989.
Penn distance coach Cricket Batz-Shaklee was disappointed with the performance.
"We are not a last-place team," Batz-Shaklee said. "I was confident we would at least beat Harvard, with a shot to beat Princeton."
The race was won for the second straight year by Brown's Sara Tindall, who finished in 17 minutes and 32 seconds, four seconds in front of teammate Kim Thalmann.
Penn freshman Abbi Gleeson finished 39th in the five-kilometer race with a time of 18:55.6. Junior Sam Desposito finished two places behind in 18:57.3.
"Abbi Gleeson has been coming and coming on all season," Batz-Shaklee said.
Kristen Koch finished a disappointing 50th place with a time of 19:09.8.
Despite Friday's performance, the Red and Blue are not disappointed with their season.
"We ran 100 percent better than last year," Batz-Shaklee said. "The entire league just got stronger from last year."
The Quakers finished in the top three in four races this year, winning the Delaware Invitational and the Rutgers Invitational. Before those wins, their last victory was in 1997.
The coaches were not even entirely disappointed with the performance at Heps.
"We were prepared physically," Batz-Shaklee said. "We just weren't prepared for this competition."
The Quakers will have another chance to race against very strong competition when they travel to NCAA Region II District Championships on Saturday, November 11. The race is at Penn State.
Seven runners can compete in Districts, but Batz-Shaklee is unsure of what the coaches will do.
"I'm going to determine the team very soon," Batz-Shaklee said. "We only want to take people who really, really want to compete."
For the Quakers, Heps was just a case of a bad performance coming at the worst time. The team is very young, with many freshmen running in college for the first time, and many running cross country for the first time ever.
The Quakers, many of whom would not comment on their performance this weekend, are disappointed with their finishes. Penn doesn't seem willing to be complacent with their current status as doormat of the Ivy League.
(10/25/00 9:00am)
Kristen Koch doesn't consider herself a runner, but she could sure fool most people.
The sophomore from Niskayuna, N.Y., is one of the leaders on a surprising Penn women's cross country team that has improved by leaps and bounds this season.
She never ran cross country before.
Last year, she did not even play any sports.
On a team with two former figure skaters, she is not that rare of a case. Koch did run track in high school, where she specialized in distance events.
"I grew up playing soccer," Koch said. "I ran to stay in shape for soccer."
As a freshman, Koch simply decided not to play any sports at Penn. She missed athletic competition, however, and toyed with the idea of running cross country the next fall.
"I saw the team running and I thought, OI can do that,'" Koch said. "I talked to Betty [Costanza, the Penn women's track coach] and decided to try out."
Koch's instinct was correct -- she can do this.
This fall, she has finished first on the team in two races and has been among the top three Penn finishers in every race this year. She was third overall and first on the Quakers in her first-ever cross country race at the Lafayette Invitational on September 9.
"It's been really exciting," Koch said. "I love the team."
Over the summer, Koch ran the workout schedule usually given to incoming freshmen -- lots of long distance running to build a base, with some lifting as well.
"I figured the worst-case scenario was that I'd get into really good shape," Koch said.
Koch said that it is tough at times because she is a little inexperienced, having only run in five competitive races.
"The advantage of being new is that I don't know my limitations, and I'm always improving," Koch added.
The Quakers, who compete at Heptagonal Championships on Friday at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, are hoping that Koch can help lead them to improve on last year's finish -- a dismal last place.
"I like the team aspect of cross country," Koch said. "We have a lot of fun inside and outside practice and get along well, which is really difficult."
Koch says that the experience of running still seems totally new to her, even after months of training.
"Soccer was always the No. 1 sport for me, and I wasn't a runner," Koch said. "I mean, I still don't consider myself as one."
Like many runners, Koch professes that running is very tough, yet she still loves it.
"I enjoy it," Koch said. "Hopefully, after Friday I'll like it even more."
Maybe if the Quakers' surprising season draws to an impressive close at Heps, Koch may finally begin to consider herself a runner.
